Roof Replacement — Michigan license requirements
01 The project
The starting point is the work itself — Roof Replacement in Michigan. The job determines which trades are involved, and the trades determine which license classifications may be required.
| Component | Trade |
|---|---|
| Roof cover system | Roofing |
02 Jurisdiction
This project is evaluated for Michigan — the no-GC-licence state. There is no statewide general-contractor licence: the individual Residential Builder and Maintenance & Alteration Contractor licences (Article 24, MCL 339.2401 et seq.) cover the residential structure — a detached 1- or 2-family dwelling or a townhouse of not more than 3 stories — and the skilled trades run on their own articles of the Skilled Trades Regulation Act (electrical Art. 7, mechanical Art. 8, plumbing Art. 11). The statute's only dollar figure is the $600 anti-splitting exemption, and permits come from the local building department. Michigan jurisdiction page.
Local building and permit fees were not read — LOCAL_AUTHORITY_REQUIRED — and the RB/M&A PSI examination fee plus the initial master-plumber and plumbing-contractor licence amounts are unpublished (NOT_VERIFIED). Michigan imposes no surety bond and no state general-liability minimum on these credentials (verified absences), but the WDCA workers' compensation rule bites at 3+ employees (or 1+ at 35+ hours/week for 13+ weeks). Inside the City of Detroit the electrical credential is issued locally. State requirements are not the complete story for any city or township.
03 Trade → license
Relations below are recorded per state — only this jurisdiction's classifications are shown.
Trades involved: Roofing.
- May require MA-CONTRACTOR — Residential Maintenance & Alteration (M&A) Contractor confirmed S-MI-MCL-2404 rule MI-RB-LICENSEMCL 339.2404(3): the M&A licence expressly includes the craft 'roofing' — replacing a roof on an existing residential structure is repair/alteration work on a residential structure, so the contractor needs the M&A licence (or an RB licence) under MCL 339.2403 unless an exemption applies. The licence specifies the craft held; incidental/supplemental crafts around it are allowed.
- Alternative path RESIDENTIAL-BUILDER — Individual Residential Builder (RB) confirmed S-MI-MCL-2401 rule MI-RB-LICENSEALTERNATIVE — an Individual Residential Builder licence also covers roof replacement: MCL 339.2401(a)(i) includes 'replacement, repair, alteration' of a residential structure. A builder taking a whole new roof as part of new construction works under the RB licence instead of the M&A craft list.
- Component basis RB-SALESPERSON — Residential Builder Salesperson confirmed S-MI-MCL-2401 rule MI-SALESPERSONIf a salesperson solicits the roofing contract for the licensed firm, that individual needs the salesperson licence (MCL 339.2401(d)) — occasional and incidental sales by a principal employee are carved out.
04 Scope
What the official sources say about the work involved — typed assertions, never a boolean "covers". Interpretations are marked as such.
- Officially included RB-SALESPERSON Sell Negotiate Solicit And Obtain Contracts For A Licensed Rb Or Ma Employer (may_perform) MCL 339.2401(d) S-MI-MCL-2401 The complementary exclusion: a QUALIFYING OFFICER is definitionally outside the salesperson licence — they hold the individual licence and supervise instead.
- Officially included RESIDENTIAL-BUILDER Erection Construction Replacement Repair Alteration Addition Improvement Wrecking Or Demolition Of A Residential Structure (may_perform) MCL 339.2401(a), (c) S-MI-MCL-2401 The broadest Michigan credential — new construction AND repair/alteration of residential structures.
- Officially excluded RESIDENTIAL-BUILDER Standalone Commercial Only Structures Under A Statewide Gc Credential (may_not_perform) MCL 339.2401(c); LARA Residential Builders page S-MI-MCL-2401 The LARA page's 'combination residential and commercial structure' wording sits beside the statute's narrower definition — combination structures are therefore answered from the residential side, and purely commercial work resolves to the local layer (research §A/§G).
- Officially included MA-CONTRACTOR Repair Alteration Addition Improvement Wrecking Or Demolition Of A Residential Structure Plus Garage Building And Residential Concrete (may_perform) MCL 339.2404(3); MCL 339.2401(b) S-MI-MCL-2404 The M&A licence carries the twelve statutory crafts and the garage/concrete activities; roof, siding, masonry and carpentry work on a residential structure sits here rather than under the RB licence when the contract is repair/alteration.
05 Requirements
| Requirement | Kind | Statement | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Acting as a residential builder or M&A contractor in Michigan requires an Article 24 licence unless an exemption applies MCL 339.2403 opening paragraph verbatim (read 2026-10-05) | license | MCL 339.2403 (read verbatim 2026-10-05): 'Notwithstanding article 6, a person may engage in the business of or act in the capacity of a residential builder or a residential maintenance and alteration contractor or salesperson in this state without a license under this article, IF the person is 1 of the following' — the nine enumerated exemptions (a)–(i). Every person outside those nine exemptions needs the licence, which LARA issues only after the 60-hour prelicensure education, the PSI examination and the $195 application (MCL 339.2404; LARA prelicensure page). | S-MI-MCL-2403Source S-MI-MCL-2403 — Michigan Legislature — Michigan Compiled Laws (legislature.mi.gov)MCL 339.2403 — Acting as a residential builder or M&A contractor without a license (the exemptions, incl. the $600 anti-splitting rule) — MCL 339.2403 opening paragraph verbatim (read 2026-10-05) https://www.legislature.mi.gov/Laws/MCL?objectName=mcl-339-2403 Retrieved 2026-10-05 · last verified 2026-10-05 Verbatim exemptions (a)-(i): authorized representatives of government; an owner of property as to a structure for the owner's own use and occupancy; an owner of rental property as to maintenance and alteration of that rental property; an officer of a court within scope; a person (other than a salesperson) working solely under contract with a licensed RB or M&A contractor; 'a person that is working on 1 undertaking or project by 1 or more contracts, if the aggregate contract price for the labor, material, and any other items for the undertaking or project is less than $600.00' — void where the work is part of a larger or major operation or the operation is divided into sub-$600 contracts 'to evade this act'; licensed electrical contractors (Art. 7) for electrical work only; licensed plumbing contractors (Art. 11) for plumbing work only; licensed mechanical contractors (Art. 8) for mechanical work only. Amended 2016 PA 412, effective 2017-04-04. |
| Project under $600 aggregate contract price — licence not required, with the anti-splitting rule MCL 339.2403(f) verbatim (read 2026-10-05) | exemption | MCL 339.2403(f) verbatim: a person may work without an Article 24 licence if 'the person is working on 1 undertaking or project by 1 or more contracts, if the aggregate contract price for the labor, material, and any other items for the undertaking or project is less than $600.00. The exemption described in this subdivision does not apply if the work of a construction is only a part of a larger or major operation, whether undertaken by the same or a different residential builder or residential maintenance and alteration contractor, or in which a division of the operation is made in contracts of amounts less than $600.00, to evade this act.' | S-MI-MCL-2403Source S-MI-MCL-2403 — Michigan Legislature — Michigan Compiled Laws (legislature.mi.gov)MCL 339.2403 — Acting as a residential builder or M&A contractor without a license (the exemptions, incl. the $600 anti-splitting rule) — MCL 339.2403(f) verbatim (read 2026-10-05) https://www.legislature.mi.gov/Laws/MCL?objectName=mcl-339-2403 Retrieved 2026-10-05 · last verified 2026-10-05 Verbatim exemptions (a)-(i): authorized representatives of government; an owner of property as to a structure for the owner's own use and occupancy; an owner of rental property as to maintenance and alteration of that rental property; an officer of a court within scope; a person (other than a salesperson) working solely under contract with a licensed RB or M&A contractor; 'a person that is working on 1 undertaking or project by 1 or more contracts, if the aggregate contract price for the labor, material, and any other items for the undertaking or project is less than $600.00' — void where the work is part of a larger or major operation or the operation is divided into sub-$600 contracts 'to evade this act'; licensed electrical contractors (Art. 7) for electrical work only; licensed plumbing contractors (Art. 11) for plumbing work only; licensed mechanical contractors (Art. 8) for mechanical work only. Amended 2016 PA 412, effective 2017-04-04. |
| Building permits are local, under the Michigan Residential Code Consumer guide + Michigan Residential Code Notification (read 2026-10-05) | permit | Michigan publishes no statewide building-permit process on the pages read: the Michigan Residential Code Notification (2018-01-30) records that 'Pursuant to MCL 125.1504(6) the department has determined to not update the Michigan residential code,' and LARA's co-branded consumer guide instructs consumers to confirm 'local regulations, permit requirements' and states 'The contractor should handle permits.' Permits are therefore issued and enforced by the local building department for the municipality where the project sits, and any permit-fee answer is LOCAL_AUTHORITY_REQUIRED. | S-MI-CONSUMER-GUIDESource S-MI-CONSUMER-GUIDE — Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA) — Bureau of Construction Codes (BCC), Licensing SectionMichigan Co-Branded Consumer Guide to Home Improvement Projects (LARA) — Consumer guide + Michigan Residential Code Notification (read 2026-10-05) Retrieved 2026-10-05 · last verified 2026-10-05 Official consumer guide linked from the Licensing Section page, read 2026-10-05: 'Verify contractor licenses or registrations with state licensing agencies'; 'The contractor should handle permits'; 'Confirm the contractor's insurance coverage'; 'Consider performance bonds for large projects' (consumer choice, defined as 'a financial guarantee that protects project' performance — NOT a licensing condition); glossary defines License, Bond and Permit; warns about unlicensed/unsolicited contractors and contractors with 'no insurance or contracts.' No dollar threshold appears anywhere in the guide. |
| Salespersons who obtain contracts for a licensee need their own licence — occasional incidental sales do not MCL 339.2401(d) + 339.2403 opening (read 2026-10-05) | license | MCL 339.2401(d) defines a salesperson as an employee or agent, other than a qualifying officer, of a licensed residential builder or M&A contractor who sells, negotiates, solicits or obtains contracts or commitments for the licensee's goods and services — excluding 'an individual working for a licensed residential builder or residential maintenance and alteration contractor who makes sales that are occasional and incidental to the individual's principal employment.' MCL 339.2403 lists the salesperson inside the exemption provision, so an unlicensed salesperson acting for a licensee falls under Article 24's salesperson licensing. | S-MI-MCL-2401Source S-MI-MCL-2401 — Michigan Legislature — Michigan Compiled Laws (legislature.mi.gov)MCL 339.2401 — Definitions (residential builder, residential maintenance and alteration contractor, residential structure, salesperson, wages) — MCL 339.2401(d) + 339.2403 opening (read 2026-10-05) https://www.legislature.mi.gov/Laws/MCL?objectName=mcl-339-2401 Retrieved 2026-10-05 · last verified 2026-10-05 Verbatim: 'residential builder' covers a person who for compensation 'other than wages for personal labor only' undertakes the erection, construction, replacement, repair, alteration, or addition to, subtraction from, improvement, wrecking of, or demolition of a residential structure (plus prefab/shell housing dealers and erecters other than for own use); 'residential maintenance and alteration contractor' covers repair/alteration/improvement/wrecking/demolition, building a garage, laying of concrete on residential property, and the serial-flipper rule (same structure resold more than twice in one calendar year); 'residential structure' = detached 1- or 2-family dwelling with appurtenant facilities OR a townhouse of not more than 3 stories above the grade plane with separate means of egress; 'salesperson' = employee/agent of a licensed RB or M&A except occasional and incidental sales. Act 341 of 2020 applies the section retroactively to 2019-01-01. |
| No surety bond is required for the RB or M&A licence (verified absence) Builder fee schedule + BCC-2000 + license map + MCL 339.2401-2410 (read 2026-10-05) | bond | Neither the official LARA builder fee schedule ($195 application, $150 renewal, $170 late renewal, $185 relicense, $10 changes), nor application form BCC-2000, nor the official license map, nor MCL 339.2401–2410 mentions any surety bond as a condition of licensure — read 2026-10-05. LARA's consumer guide offers performance bonds as a CONSUMER choice for large projects ('Consider performance bonds for large projects'), which confirms bonds sit outside the licensing conditions. Secondary sources claiming public-project bonds over $50,000 concern public contracting, not the licence, and no official bond statute was read this phase — no bond row is seeded (research §G item 3). | S-MI-LARA-FEESSource S-MI-LARA-FEES — Residential Builders' and Maintenance and Alteration Contractors' Board (Article 24, Act 299)License Fees (LARA BCC builder schedule) — $195 application, $150 renewal, $170 late, $185 relicense — Builder fee schedule + BCC-2000 + license map + MCL 339.2401-2410 (read 2026-10-05) https://www.michigan.gov/lara/bureau-list/bcc/forms/licensing/builders/license-fees Retrieved 2026-10-05 · last verified 2026-10-05 Fee schedule verbatim: Application for residential builders or maintenance and alteration contractors license $195.00; Application for residential salesperson or branch office license $195.00; Qualifying Officer Change $10.00; Name/Address Change $10.00; Renewal (builder, M&A/sales, branch office) $150.00; Late Renewal (builder, M&A/sales, branch office) $170.00; Relicensure (builder, M&A/sales, branch office) $185.00. |
06 Rule: MI-RB-LICENSE
Article 24 licensing: a person may act as a residential builder or M&A contractor without a licence ONLY inside MCL 339.2403's nine exemptions (MI-EXEMPTIONS). RB covers the erection, construction, repair, alteration or addition of a residential structure for compensation other than wages for personal labor only; M&A covers repair, alteration or improvement, building a garage, laying concrete on residential property and serial flipping, carrying the twelve statutory crafts.
| Outcome | Conclusion | Caveats |
|---|---|---|
| construction-new-or-whole | residential_builder_license_required |
|
| repair-alteration | ma_license_required |
|
| labor-only-wages | outside_license_scope |
|
Rule confidence: confirmed. Missing inputs produce NOT_DETERMINED — never a forced answer. Sources: S-MI-MCL-2403S-MI-MCL-2401S-MI-MCL-2404
07 Rule: MI-SALESPERSON
MCL 339.2401(d): a salesperson is an employee or agent (other than a qualifying officer) of a licensed RB or M&A contractor who sells, negotiates, solicits or obtains contracts for the licensee — except occasional and incidental sales by a person whose principal employment lies elsewhere. $195 application / $150 renewal every three years by 5/31, no CE, licence linked to an employer to renew.
| Outcome | Conclusion | Caveats |
|---|---|---|
| salesperson-needs-license | salesperson_license_required |
|
Rule confidence: confirmed. Missing inputs produce NOT_DETERMINED — never a forced answer. Sources: S-MI-MCL-2401S-MI-LARA-FEES
08 Rule: MI-600-EXEMPTION
MCL 339.2403(f) verbatim: no licence needed when 'the person is working on 1 undertaking or project by 1 or more contracts, if the aggregate contract price for the labor, material, and any other items for the undertaking or project is less than $600.00' — and the exemption 'does not apply if the work of a construction is only a part of a larger or major operation … or in which a division of the operation is made in contracts of amounts less than $600.00, to evade this act.'
| Outcome | Conclusion | Caveats |
|---|---|---|
| under-600 | license_not_required |
|
| at-or-over-600 | license_required_analysis_needed |
|
Rule confidence: confirmed. Missing inputs produce NOT_DETERMINED — never a forced answer. Sources: S-MI-MCL-2403
09 Rule: MI-LOCAL-PERMIT
Michigan publishes no statewide permit process: permits are issued by the local building department under the Michigan Residential Code (LARA's 2018 notification records the MCL 125.1504(6) decision), and LARA's consumer guide says 'The contractor should handle permits' while telling consumers to confirm 'local regulations, permit requirements'. Permit fee answers are LOCAL_AUTHORITY_REQUIRED.
| Outcome | Conclusion | Caveats |
|---|---|---|
| local-permit | local_permit_required |
|
Rule confidence: confirmed. Missing inputs produce NOT_DETERMINED — never a forced answer. Sources: S-MI-CONSUMER-GUIDES-MI-MRC
10 What decides a Michigan re-roof
| Question | Michigan answer | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Which licence carries roofing? | the M&A licence — MCL 339.2404(3) lists roofing among the twelve statutory crafts (rule MI-RB-LICENSE) | S-MI-MCL-2403 |
| Alternative credential | the individual Residential Builder licence — 'replacement, repair, alteration' of a residential structure is RB work | S-MI-MCL-2403 |
| Under $600 aggregate? | no licence — the MCL 339.2403(f) exemption, void if the job is split into sub-$600 contracts to evade the act | S-MI-MCL-2403 |
| Who solicits the contract? | a salesperson needs the salesperson licence linked to the licensee | S-MI-MCL-2401 |
| The permit | local building department under the Michigan Residential Code | S-MI-CONSUMER-GUIDE |
Note: the $600 anti-splitting exemption (Project under $600 aggregate contract price — licence not required, with the anti-splitting rule)and the local permit layer (Building permits are local, under the Michigan Residential Code) are stated in full on the Michigan jurisdiction page.